if it's sunday, it's "meet the press." could going over the fiscal cliff be just what washington has wanted all along? millions of americans are getting battered by a third severe storm with drenching rains, chevy snow and strong winds. details ahead. and the stars were out last night for the kennedy center's honors. members of led zeppelin, david letterman, dustin hoffman and many others. we'll have that and much more coming up this monday morning on "first look." and a very good morning to you. i'm veronica de la cruz.

one solution being heard more and more about solving the nation's financial showdown could be actually allowing the deadline to pass and letting america go over the fiscal cliff. that would allow tax rates to rise on everybody. then congress could come back after the new year and cut taxes on everyone but the wealthy. nbc's mike viqueira has the story. >> reporter: administration optimism for a deal. but only if republicans give in on raising rates for the wealthy. >> you think we'll get a deal by the end of the year? >> i do. the only thing that stands in the way of a deal right now is if a group of republican members decide they're going to block the deal because they want to extend tax cuts. we can't afford for the wealthiest 2% of americans. >> reporter: john boehner dug in. no rate rises on anyone. >> the president's idea of a negotiation is roll over and do what i ask. >> reporter: the opening bid brought the gop leaders by geithner is a nonstarter. >> i was flabbergasted.

i looked at him and said, you can't be serious. >> reporter: included in the offer, $1.6 trillion in new revenue, twice what was on the table in last year's failed grand bargain, and $600 billion in spending cuts, much of it from medicare, not nearly good enough, say republicans who insist the president show more of his hand. >> the white house keeps spiking the ball on tax increases for the wealthy, but it's not yet been forthcoming on real entitlement reform. and without the two, there really is no deal. >> reporter: for now, the sides are far apart. >> what the chances we're going to go off the cliff? >> there's clearly a chance. >> reporter: with time running out, many on both sides say the time for posturing is over. >> at a certain point in time, we have to quit playing to the cheap seats in politics and frankly, that's really what we're waiting on now is a game of chick ton put the painful stuff out there. >> that was nbc's mike viqueira reporting. fans of the kansas city chiefs on the nfl are still in shock today following a tragic murder/suicide this weekend. there was a moment of silence at

yesterday's game for victims of domestic violence and chiefs' linebacker jovan belcher. authorities say he shot his girlfriend saturday and then went to arrowhead stadium where he turned the gun on himself. the team's head coach wiped away tears on the sideline yesterday and spoke to reporters. >> i'm choosing not to answer any questions about what i saw yesterday, and i think that you will understand that and hopefully you will respect my wishes on that because it wasn't a pretty sight. our prayers go out to the family of kasandra perkins. they are grieving and we send our condolences. >> belcher's hometown, a vigil was held for the former high school stole. the couple reportedly had argued recently. they leave behind a 3-month-old baby. residents in northern california may finally be getting a break from a series of powerful storms that have saturated the region over the past week. a third storm sunday dumped

pounding rain and downed trees and power lines. nbc's jay gray has the latest from california. >> reporter: this morning the water and worries continue to rise across central and northern california. for almost a week now, high winds and heavy rains have pounded the west coast. trees and power lines are downed, rivers and creeks pushed past their banks. >> everybody behind us has lost almost everything. everyone's been evacuated. it's horrible. i've never seen nothing like this in real life, never. >> reporter: it is an overwhelming reality for countless families. sandbagging, trying to protect what they could, but many were still forced to find higher ground. >> it is a helpless feeling. it is. >> reporter: the rain has thankfully turned to snow across the sierras and even at the lower elevations, many areas may finally get a bit of a break after what's been a relentless line of storms. >> the amount of water that has come out of the skies, it's amazing. >> reporter: and it may not be over yet.

forecasters warn in many of the hardest-hit communities, more rain could begin to fall late today and continue through the middle of the week. jay gray, nbc news, california. well, several of america's entertainment greats received the nation's highest award for the arts last night. the kennedy center honors. president obama praised this year's list which includes late-night tv legend david letterman, the iconic rock band led zeppelin and oscar winner dustin hoffman. hoffman's co-star in four movies, robert deniro, shared an only-in-hollywood moment. >> i first met dustin at a party in 1968. i was his waiter. it was an instant connection when he said to me, "how's the flounder?" >> the kennedy center honors will air on television later this month. and now for a look at the national weather, we turn to nbc meteorologist bill karins with the weather channel forecast. how's the flounder?

>> flaky. very flaky. did you have a good weekend? >> i did. it was great. yours? >> people out there getting tans this weekend. the calendar goes to december -- >> i'm much darker. >> nice. good morning, everyone. incredibly warm air spread across the country. everyone that's east of the rockies can thank that huge california storm system. there was actually three of them. that pushed warm pacific air across the country. it cut off all the cold air from canada. it is warm from coast on to coast, incredibly warm. as far as the storms on the west, we're getting a break. the big one was yesterday. we had 150-mile-per-hour wind gusts in the mountain peaks in the sierra, and that system has kicked on through. there will be light rain today in seattle, but that will be about it. the really nasty stuff is gone. i mean, these temperatures are just ridiculous. for this time of morning, it is 64 in kansas city. that's usually like a morning low in july. i mean, it's just so warm. and because it's so warm, and

it's also very moist, there's a lot of foggy problems out there this morning. areas of dense fog, the great lakes, through mississippi and alabama, especially down along the coast, all coastal areas here from south carolina up to wilmington and even san antonio. some of the worst fog is definitely in the lower portion of the great lakes. visibilities are extremely poor from milwaukee to chicago to cleveland. visibility a quarter mile or less now. expect major airport delays around chicago o'hare and also cleveland early today. just enjoy this warm weather. it will last probably about two or three more days. but even then, veronica, it doesn't look like a big real cold snap, just maybe returning back to normal. >> i'm liking it. >> yes. you like it. the ski resorts are bapging their heads, though. >> thanks, bill. a number of bizarre topics at bradley manning's wikileaks hearings. details ahead. one little girl gets the shock of a lifetime at seaworld. you're watching "first look" on msnbc. ♪ 99 bushels of wheat on the farm...99 bushels of wheat! ♪

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welcome back. some stories making news this morning now. some bizarre testimony at a pretrial hearing for pfc bradley manning. the easterly priva the army private accused of leaking documents to wikileaks. manning'ser to claims he was stripped of clothes, not allowed bed linens and kept in solitary for months. but a military official argued he was a suicide risk and displayed strange behavior like playing peekaboo with himself, dancing erratically, and licking the bars of his cell. secretary of state hillary clinton is in the czech republic where she is trying to convince leaders to choose u.s. company westinghouse over a russian rival for a $10 billion nuclear reactor project. 88-year-old former president george h.w. bush remains at a houston hospital in stable condition. four days after being admitted for a lingering cough related to bronchitis. authorities in japan have confirmed at least nine deaths

in sunday's highway tunnel collapse outside of tokyo. old south church in boston plans to auction off a copy of a rare hymn book published in 1640 worth between $10 million and $20 million. finally, some strange news out of north korea to tell you about where state media is reporting the discovery of an ancient unicorn layer. how do they know? archaeologists claim that they have found an ancient rock that contains the words "unicorn layer." of course. and now here is your first look at this morning's dish of "scrambled politics." actress meryl streep and secretary of state hillary clinton were having way too much fun at a state department gala saturday night. part of this weekend's kennedy center honors celebration. and speaking of clinton, you can add one more name to the list of people convinced that she is running for president in 2016.

"new yorker" magazine editor david remnick came to that conclusion friday night at a fo forum which featured clinton. on the washington post" gives the most detailed account of romney. it says he's spending most of his time in la jolla, california, on his ipad. they say romney's seclusion is marked by suppressed conclusions, second-guessing and boredom. though they say he is not bitter. "the post" also reports the loss has been more difficult on ann romney who friends say has been crying in private and trying to get back to riding her horses. someone else who might want to have a good cry. casino magnate sheldon adelson after vowing to spend $100 million to defeat president obama. the huffington post said that he actually spent $150 million. the word "election" was the number one search on yahoo! this

year, but don't worry because kim kardashian was still the most searched person, just in case you were. and president obama and former president clinton were part of a golfing foursome sunday but no cameras were allowed. these pictures are from when they played last year. it's believed to be the president's third time hitting the links since the election. finally, birther tate tried to force occidental college to release president obama's student records. the judge said no, told her, quote, evidence is not stuff printed from the internet and ordered her to pay the college $4,000 for its trouble. and that is your morning dish of "scrambled politics." and now for a check on wall street this monday morning. the dow opens this week at 13,025 after gaining 3 points friday. the s&p was up a fraction. the nasdaq lost 1. overseas, the nikkei added 12, and the hang seng dropped 262. investors and traders keep

tabs on statement out of this week's fiscal cliff talks, they'll also be watching for friday's release of the november jobs report and what impacts superstorm sandy and those fiscal fears may have had on hiring. meanwhile, the national retail federation is asking congress to step in and stop striking clerical workers who shut down 10 of 14 terminals at two california ports. the group estimates the now week-long strike is costing $1 billion a day. edward glen hayden, managing director and head of global interest rates at morgan stanley, pictured here during his days at goldman sachs is being investigated by commodities and futures regulators. according to "the new york times," the question is whether hayden's trading manipulated the price of treasury futures while he was back at goldman in 2008. news corp. announced the ceo of its uk newspaper operations who took the reins in july of last year is stepping down. swiss banking giant ubs is reportedly close to reaching a $450 million settlement with u.s. and british authorities over an interest rate-rigging

scandal that rocked the banking world this year. and on the deal front, delta airlines is said to be in talks for a 49% stake in british carrier virgin atlantic. finally, check this out. the massive toys "r" us store in times square opened sunday morning. it's not going to close again until christmas eve night which means that the store will be open for a marathon of 543 consecutive straight hours. coming up next, a pig causes a three-car accident. and a news division says no more to lindsay lohan. plus, the boys had their hands full with andy reid's eagles early on. your sports headlines are next. you're watching "first look" on msnbc. ♪ you can stay in and like something... ♪ [ car alarm deactivates ] ♪ ...or you can get out there with your family

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to scrub away tough, dried-on stains. hey, do you guys think i'm "momtacular" or "momtrocious"? ♪ [ female announcer ] swiffer. now with the scrubbing power of mr. clean magic eraser. here is your first look at some of the other news going on around america now. we begin with one family's horrific dolphin encounter at seaworld. one of the dolphins leaped from a feeding pool and bit an 8-year-old girl's hand. she received treatment for three puncture wounds from the florida park staff. an official later said they had not had a chance to assess the video, but they are taking the matter very seriously. also in florida, police say that pig in the road caused a chain-reaction series of crashes in collier county. the first car hit the pig and became disabled on the roadway when along came two more vehicles that created the multicar pileup. 11 people suffered injuries ranging from severe to minor including an infant that needed to be flown to a nearby

hospital. a boston woman fighting terminal cancer had her spirits lifted by a flash mob. with the help of binoculars, eileen watched loved ones hold up signs, dance and form a heart synchronized to music playing inside of her hospital room. finally, social media had a big hand in reuniting a pair of college sweethearts after 65 years. bernard zager and janine ross hadn't been an item since the 1940s, and that all changed three years ago after they met on classmates.com. at the tender ages of 86 and 84, they finally tied the knot in las vegas. aww. that is just too cute. better late than never. now to sports. "sunday night football," eagles and cowboys. philadelphia had the ball late in the game but a fumble was picked up by morris claiborne. cowboys downed the eagles 38-33. there you go. chicago now in overtime,

seattle kquarterback russell wilson hit sidney rice for a 13-yard touchdown. and the seahawks get a dramatic win over the bears, 23-17. after finishing in a tie earlier this season, st. louis and san francisco were tied in regulation. then the rams kicked a field goal in overtime for the 16-13 win over the 49ers. and pittsburgh's quarterback, charlie batch, leads a fourth quarter comeback against baltimore, and the steelers kicked a field goal as time ran out for a victory over the ravens, 23-20. now to college ball, notre dame number one in the bcs standings will face number two, alabama, in the national championship game january 7th in miami. number three was florida followed by oregon and kansas state. across the pond now to england, the duchess of cambridge showed off her field hockey skills at her old prep school. even though she's wearing these crazy boots with the three-inch heels, she did seem to impress the students. now to pennsylvania, fans of the minor league hockey team the hershey bears set a new record at the annual teddy bear toss.

a record 12,497 stuffed bears, they all rained down on the ice. they are donated to hershey children's hospital. and now for another look at the weather, here's nbc meteorologist bill karins with the weather channel forecast. what did you think of that? >> that's a great name. minor league hockey, hershey bears, that's great. >> cute. >> makes me want some chocolate. good morning, everyone. across the northeast, some rain moved through late yesterday. it's very strange. it feels like spring across the country today. temperatures ridiculously off the charts. some of that warm air moving up to new england. for this time of year to be at 50 or near 50 in boston and albany to start your morning is almost unheard of. that's how warm all the surgery of air. it's 54 in pittsburgh. you can leave the gloves and the hat at home. it could get into the 60s as far north as new york city today. you have a shot at 70 degrees today in washington, d.c. new england, with the clouds,

you'll keep it a little bit cooler. temperatures will be in the low 50s. and across the middle of the country, i mean, we have a chance today, chicago, the warmest temperature you've ever been in december is 71 degrees. if we get the front a little slower and we get the clouds coming in a little later, you have a shot of getting near 70 degrees today, one of your warmest december days ever recorded going back over 100 years. so it just shows you how ridiculously warm it is. there's a lot of fog. drive carefully, especially the great lakes and down along the southeast coast. >> i almost don't want you to talk about it out loud because i feel like you're going to jinx it. i want the warm weather to stay. >> the warmth? >> i want it to stay. i don't want it to leave. it's all good. it's fine. coming up next, carrie underwood takes on the legendary julie andrews. and check out these world war ii era photographs just released from the library of congress from the catfish stand in louisiana to the ferris wheel in delta county, the aviation worker, a homestead family from new mexico and the santa fe diesel, also downtown lincoln, nebraska, which is what you're looking at right here.

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one christmas tree in brazil is raising the bar. more than 100,000 people flooded rio to get a glimpse of the world's largest floating christmas tree. the nearly 300-foot metal tree acted as the center of an energetic firework display. first developed in 1996, the tree has become rio's third largest tourist event of the year. well, apparently brad pitt's name on the marquee doesn't really guarantee a sure-fire hit anymore. the actor's new film flopped at the box office this weekend,

bringing in only $7 million. the opening is one of the worst in pitt's career. >> he still has chanel. >> he does. are you tired of hearing all about lindsay lohan? well, so is the news director of a washington, d.c., tv station. they've vowed to keep the star off the air, tweeting "there's must cover news, there's optional news. lohan is clearly optional." >> this guy is my new enemy. >> he is? he's my hero. carrie underwod will star at ma yee avmaria von trapp. how do you do that, by the way? >> three hours? that's impressive. >> amazing. finally, we continue to see fallout from angus t. jones's "filth" comment regarding "two and a half men." there are now reports saying miley cyrus is the front-runner to replace jones. cyrus had a two-episode stint which brought in its best

ratings, and there's no word on what they would change the name to. "two men and a miley." >> or how they'd write it. and the show is still doing great in the ratings. none of this negative press is hurting it. >> we'll see what happens with miley cyrus. >> maybe. >> to be continued. i'm veronica de la cruz. stay tuned because "way too early" starts right now. i think they won the election.gotten that republicans continue to hold the majority in the house. but, you know, the president's idea of a negotiation is roll over and do what i ask. we need to find common ground, and we need to find it quickly. >> you're looking at a live shot of the capitol building where today lawmakers will try